The UK government has announced legislation that will require GPs and hospitals in England to share patient data, creating a single patient record (SPR) for each individual. This initiative, part of a broader £10bn digitisation of the National Health Service (NHS), was unveiled in the King's Speech on Wednesday.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting on the Benefits
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the move as a "gamechanger" that will save lives. He stated, "As patients, there’s nothing more frustrating than having to repeat your medical history at every appointment. When paramedics arrive to heart attack and stroke patients, they can’t see the patients’ medical records, putting them in even greater danger." The SPR aims to give patients real control over their care through a single, secure, and authoritative account of their data, allowing NHS staff to access medical records and deliver better care faster.
Current Data Sharing Limitations
Currently, some emergency information such as current medicines and known allergies is available, but hospitals often cannot access a patient's full medical history. GPs must wait for letters from consultants to learn about hospital visits. The SPR will join up fragmented health information from across the country, leading to safer, quicker, and more accurate healthcare.
Implementation Timeline and Scope
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed that SPRs will be available to clinicians in parts of the NHS as early as next year, starting with maternity and frailty care. The legislation will be part of a health bill that also aims to scrap NHS England by 2027.
Data Protection and Patient Control
The DHSC emphasised that patients will have more control and transparency, with clear safeguards, audit trails, and choice over how their data is used. Clinicians will no longer have to work with missing information or check multiple sources for the same data. The upcoming legislation will enable processing of patient health and care information for establishing and operating SPRs, with robust protections against data breaches. Public and healthcare professionals will be consulted throughout the design process.
Support from NHS Leaders
Dr Alec Price-Forbes, national chief clinical information officer at NHS England, said the SPR will "revolutionise patient care across the country."
Concerns from GPs and Medical Associations
GPs are currently data controllers for their patients' records and can share them with third parties for research. The legislation will shift responsibility and ownership, forcing data sharing. GP leaders are concerned about liability for errors introduced by other providers and warn that without statutory clarity and indemnity, data sharing could be slowed.
The British Medical Association has called for doctors to remain in control of GP data within the SPR, rather than the DHSC. Its GP committee warned that taking control away from GPs could damage trust and risk confidentiality.
The NHS Alliance, representing hospitals and NHS leaders, stated: "A single patient record could make the NHS work better and help different services join up more smoothly. It also has the potential to give patients more control over their own care. Our members want the bill to spell out clearly who is responsible for patient data, both when it’s used to deliver care and when it’s used for other purposes, such as research. That means being explicit about who controls which data, who is legally responsible if things go wrong, what data can be used for, and what patients should be told. Without that clarity, there is a real risk the bill will struggle to get through parliament smoothly and that public trust in the single patient record will be undermined."
